Meghan Markle has spoken about one of the most difficult periods of her life: the weeks she and Prince Harry spent away from their young children following Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022.

The couple happened to be in the UK at the time, having arrived on September 3 for a short trip involving charity events and speaking engagements. After appearing at the One World Summit in Manchester and attending an Invictus Games event in Germany, they were preparing to go to the WellChild Awards in London on September 8 when they received news that the Queen had died at Balmoral.

Staying in the UK While Archie and Lilibet Remained in California

Harry and Meghan stayed in Britain until the Queen’s state funeral on September 19. Meanwhile, their children—Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet—remained at the family’s home in Los Angeles. It was the longest the couple had ever been apart from them.

Meghan recently revisited that emotional time on her lifestyle program, With Love, Meghan, during a conversation with guest Tan France about the struggles of parenting.

Tan admitted, “I might d*e without my kids, I need my boys. If I don’t see them for a couple of days, I feel like my heart is broken.”
Meghan responded, “Oh, I know,” before revealing, “The longest I went without being around our kids was almost three weeks. I was… (pauses) not well.”

While she didn’t explicitly mention the Queen’s funeral, Harry wrote about it in his 2023 memoir Spare, describing the days after his grandmother’s death as “difficult” and confirming that he and Meghan were separated from their children for “longer than we’d ever been.” Archie was 3 at the time, and Lilibet just 15 months.

He added that once the family finally reunited in Montecito, “for days and days we couldn’t stop hugging the children, couldn’t let them out of our sight.”

Parenting Moments Shared on Her Netflix Series

In the second season of her Netflix series, Meghan opened up further about life with their now 6- and 4-year-olds. She talked about morning routines, saying, “I make hot breakfast most mornings, for my kids and my husband. Fried eggs, pancakes… I like to do surprise pancakes with ground flaxseed or chia. And Lily will ask, ‘Can I have my chia seeds? I want it to have freckles.’”

Meghan also said she enjoys making food look special. “Archie will say, ‘Oh mama, that looks beautiful,’” she shared, demonstrating how she arranges fruit in a rainbow pattern to make meals more fun.

The Emotional Future of Watching Children Grow Up

Speaking again with Tan, Meghan reflected on the bittersweet idea of her children eventually becoming adults.

Tan said, “I just can’t wait for them to go to college and be out,” before admitting, “I never want my children to leave.”
Meghan agreed: “I’ll miss them so much. You want to be the parent who’s like ‘Yes, go do it… go live that life.’ But I’m going to miss you so much.”

Rediscovering Herself in California

Meghan and Harry, who moved to California in 2020, are parenting their two children far from royal life. Meghan recently told People magazine that stepping away from the UK has allowed her to reconnect with long-loved passions, especially cooking and hosting.

“When your children get to a certain age… it’s super joyful,” she said. “As a woman, a mom and a wife, to be able to find yourself again… is a wonderful feeling.”